¿What are we facing?

For the first time in history, five generations are part of the active population at the same time. It is true that, from the perspective of the workforce composition, these generations exist in different proportions, but this difference in the “weight” of the composition does not shield us from one of the most complex issues we must address within companies and organizations, which, curiously, does not receive the attention it deserves.

Why are People Working Longer?

Due to the changing landscape of work and the world in general, people live and work longer. Not only because we live longer, but also for other reasons. For instance, as many actors point out, we have delayed death and physical decay, because our “retirement” in many cases is no longer as desired as it once was, because, despite “ageism,” intellectual, experience, and knowledge assets are more than important in numerous industries, and perhaps finally, because we also need to survive. In a market economy society, where we need to generate income, many times our pensions or state benefits are insufficient, and it is necessary to complement them in a genuine way.

The Changing Landscape of Longevity

We’ve never lived this long. Medicine and other factors have significantly delayed our decline, at least by a decade and a half. And by the way, many people don’t want to decline. And that is, without a doubt, a good thing. In the history of humankind, we’ve never witnessed anything like this. And, as we always affirm in the Lab, this gives us opportunities and causes us problems.

New Generations Enter the Workforce

As expected, new generations are entering the labor market, the consumer market, and all corners of our complex society. But they arrive with ideas, concepts, educational and cognitive capacities, as well as skills that tend to be different from previous generations and, in some cases, surprisingly different for those coming from somewhat older times. To simplify, someone has tried to divide them into “analog” and “digital” categories. This division, as we delve deeper into the analysis and as time passes, reveals itself to be just what it is: a simplification that gained popularity, but doesn’t solve the issues we are facing. The approach to this new situation is more dynamic, more fluid, more energetic, and, above all, more optimistic.

What Unites the Generations?

Beyond what has been said, what unites the generations, besides social relationships, is work. There are no precedents in human relationships within companies and organizations for this workforce reality, and as Generation Z begins to flood the market, the question of how to manage a multigenerational team effectively becomes more important. Different generations come to their roles with a different worldview and distinct needs that need to be understood and, above all, recognized, eliminating the recurring bias of “our generation was better” and “these kids are made of glass.” Some may be a few years away from retirement, while others have just completed their academic training (and something we need to be cautious about is that too many do not complete an academic education that prepares them for complex challenges, but that will be the subject of another conversation). Balancing the many needs of employees across so many generations can be a challenge for any manager or HR team. However, there are ways to successfully balance work and communication styles in a multigenerational team.

What Generations Coexist in the Workforce Today?

First, let’s outline the basic concepts of the situation. Who are we dealing with? The exact age ranges for these generations vary depending on the study used, but in general, the landscape looks as follows:

• Silent Generation: This is the oldest generation in the active population. Typically, this group was born before the end of World War II and is over 70 years old. In traditional views, it seems they would be at home watching TV and mowing the lawn. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a percentage — certainly not very large — that continues to be at the front line. Sometimes they can present certain difficulties, in the sense that their points of view and visions are very marked and rigid. For example, this generation finds disruptive and technological elements difficult (they need support), and generally, the unknown feels hostile to them, and denial may be the easiest path.
• Baby Boomers: Possibly the most notable generation in history in terms of wealth accumulation, this is the generation that usually runs companies today. The youngest of this generation is typically around 50 years old. Contrary to what many believe, they are the “resistant generation.” They were the ones, especially the younger ones, who received the revolution in medicine and the change in thinking. In many cases, they are “in command,” and this sometimes causes conflicts. Not because of them, but because of divergent visions, and because they were taught they were the generation that would drive change, but what they weren’t taught was until when.
• Generation X: These people are probably middle management or early-stage directors. This group would currently be between 30 and 40 years old and is more likely to be in a stage where managing family (younger children) and work becomes a main concern. They have often been called the “second silent generation” because, unlike other generations, they did not rebel but rather adapted to their situation.
• Millennials: We’ve all heard dozens of generalizations about this group, but they are currently people in their 20s and 30s, and right now, the earliest Millennials are nearing their 40s. They are currently the largest generation in the active population. And possibly, due to reasons we’ll explore later, one of the most dissatisfied and often feeling like things haven’t turned out as expected.
• Generation Z, iGen: The names for this group vary, but it refers to people who, essentially, have just graduated from college in some cases and are entering the workforce. Most of them will have less than five years of experience, and the oldest of this group are just over 20 years old. In many countries, the issue of graduation from university is quite debatable. There is a significant number in developing countries whose education is weak in terms of what is required and the needs of the market.

So the big question is, how do we manage all these types of people at once? Below, we will present, at least, some general suggestions.

Some basic recommendations to begin addressing the problem:

First recommendation: do not make generalizations from a single perspective.

This first recommendation is fundamental and must necessarily be taken into account, because if we don’t, we will be contaminating any interpretation or management we try to develop. When generalizing, in any field, caution is required.

Let’s take an example: the generalized concept that “millennials need feedback,” which is repeated over and over again as if it were a mantra. While this may be true for many, there is no doubt that some of the millions of people in the generation do not want feedback.

As stated, it is very difficult to generalize about generations, and many circulating articles and even larger works tend to make a big mistake when doing so: they compare, say, today’s Boomers with Millennials. It’s almost impossible to compare a 25-year-old with a 55-year-old in terms of connection to work, life responsibilities, self-view, etc., especially when we are also talking about people who experienced extremely different life circumstances. But – it is also true, because it’s necessary to nuance in many circumstances – if we compared the Boomers of the late 1960s with the Millennials of 2023, we would see that some issues persist over time.

In short, 25-year-olds in the workplace tend to behave similarly over time (I refer to 25-year-olds from the sixties and today’s 25-year-olds). For example: when we take a very interesting phenomenon, the so-called “work martyr” behavior, which has been observed over time (due to its persistence), we can see the repetition of certain behaviors. By the way, the so-called “work martyr” is the behavior of some people who believe they are absolutely essential to their jobs and therefore work a lot, sacrificing part of their free time, and even their vacations. It tends to show that younger generations of the workforce are more work-addicted, even from a long-term historical perspective. And it’s logical, since these generations need to prove their worth in the chain. This was true for Boomers back then and for Millennials now.

Second recommendation: recognize the big difference between generations at work:

Let’s apply this to technology, specifically digital/mobile technology. Many companies have had dozens of setbacks and are now starting to gather and adopt digital plans. We all know that change is difficult, but Silents or Silent Generation, Boomers, and even Generation X entered the workplace with an established set of models and business approaches that are different from current models, and very different in terms of the technology available at the time they were the predominant generation and the number of people in the workforce.

Digital tools have allowed very significant changes in the way much of the work is done (what is commonly known as “disruption”). If someone has spent the last thirty years developing their industry or work sector in one way and suddenly starts adding technology rapidly, much more rapidly than ever seen before, it becomes complex for the way of working and for their perception of their position in the workplace. Millennials and Generation Z have an advantage, which cannot be qualified as merely “slight,” in this sense, because they grew up mainly around the rise of Google, social networks, digital offerings, online ads, and the like. While this is not the place to fully develop the point, there is an important gap between those called “analog” and the digital generations.

2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, which means a Generation Z employee (about 22-23 years old) may have had a smartphone since they were 12. A Boomer probably got one starting at 44. The technology is the same, the use and utilities are the same, but the perception, understanding, and above all, the expectation of growth and evolution of technology must be different. I have always observed one key aspect: the sense of wonder. For some, it’s something perfectly natural, and it’s just expected to be what comes next; for others, it’s a technological leap that sometimes is hard to adopt and, in some aspects, may also bring uncertainty (we will revisit this issue in other articles).

The different points of entry to learn and use technology can generate different experiences, and in companies and organizations, it is necessary to think about induction and adaptation mechanisms. Now, this does not mean that there are no Boomers who are knowledgeable about technology and enthusiastic about it (by the way, this is an absurd “myth” that fosters “ageism,” which represents a real plague in the labor market) or Gen Z with a phobia of it, because there are some, not many, but the idea is to look carefully at reality and eliminate other myths such as youth = “everything technological is manna.” But the world in which these generations grew up was fundamentally different. The technological boom and the evolution of artificial intelligence have driven innovation faster than was possible before, and this has an impact on employees’ and officials’ perceptions.

Tercera recomendación: reinterpretar el término colaboración.

Las brechas generacionales causadas por la tecnología y reforzadas por la jerarquía tradicional que muchas empresas aplican pueden causar fallos muy importantes en la comunicación y la colaboración, por lo que ese es el aspecto principal que se debe administrar. Es preciso también, recordar otra vez que los problemas de comunicación representan el 60% aproximadamente del origen de todos los conflictos. Y no se trata solo de lenguajes y expresiones, sino de percepciones mentales que no son adecuadamente transmitidas al otro.

Algunas empresas abordan esto con herramientas de colaboración (Slack, Trello, Asana, Teams, etc., ha surgido una infinidad de herramientas), pero un enfoque mejor consiste en averiguar qué funciona para la empresa y su gente y diseñarlo de esa manera. Un sinnúmero de empresas ha intentado implementar una nueva y llamativa herramienta de colaboración y les ha resultado totalmente contraproducente porque algunas generaciones no se sentían cómodas trabajando de esa manera. Una vez más, el cambio es muy difícil para la mayoría de las personas, y en el trabajo, donde las personas evalúan constantemente su relevancia y competencia, el cambio puede ser aún más asustador, y no solamente para las generaciones más “antiguas”.

Vamos a pasar en limpio el pensamiento, la comunicación es uno de los puentes básicos de la colaboración, y la tecnología aplicada es extraordinaria muchas veces en sus resultados y especialmente en su velocidad, pero, aun cuando la afirmación levante algunos polvos, en bastantes casos, la tecnología no sustituye el contacto humano. Tendremos que pensar la forma de balancear nuestros términos.

Las generaciones más jóvenes pueden resistirse al cambio y también a las nuevas herramientas, especialmente si vienen estar sobrecargadas por demasiadas herramientas tecnológicas o en línea cuando una o dos serían un mejor enfoque. Nuevamente, hay que despejar algunos lugares comunes que no necesariamente son verdaderos. Examinemos esos aspectos:

Al diseñar cómo deben colaborar las personas, es una buena idea tener en cuenta las opiniones de los empleados y, cuando se introduce una nueva herramienta, asegurarse de que haya capacitación en equipo y apoyo continuo según sea necesario.

Cuarta recomendación: comunicación, comunicación y, last but not least, comunicación.

Esto es esencial en cualquier empresa de cualquier tamaño y muchas, vaya, demasiadas, aún no la dominan. La responsabilidad recae en los gerentes de primera línea. Deben comunicar constantemente a su equipo los cambios en el modelo de negocio, los ajustes de prioridad y similares.

Aquí es donde entra en juego la noción de revisiones de desempeño: durante años, la mayoría de las empresas han operado con un modelo de revisión de desempeño anual. Recientemente se ha pensado que este modelo está desactualizado y grandes empresas lo han eliminado. La idea es una comunicación más frecuente y orgánica entre gerentes y subordinados directos. Desafortunadamente, muchas de las empresas que eliminan las revisiones anuales no las reemplazan por nada, y eso tampoco es bueno. La conclusión es que hay que concentrarse en la comunicación y empoderar/incentivar a los gerentes de primera línea para que la conviertan en una prioridad. Y, por cierto, dejar de caer en las rutinas de “yo hago de cuenta que hago y tú haces de cuenta que crees que lo hago”. ¡Hay que hacerlo!

Quinta recomendación: fomentar la creación de redes y las tutorías y mentorías.

Definitivamente este es un punto de alta importancia, pero que parece haber muerto de vejez, lo que en definitiva es un gran y decisivo error. La tutoría asignada está predominantemente muerta en la mayoría de las empresas, pero tener tantas generaciones en la fuerza laboral brinda una oportunidad única para recuperarla. Si una mujer de 26 años en marketing de productos tiene dificultades, considera buscar formas de emparejarla con una de 66 años en marketing. Con suerte, aprenderá algunas lecciones sobre el desarrollo profesional, el marketing en general, cómo funciona la empresa, etc., mientras que el mentor mayor obtendrá una nueva perspectiva de la mentalidad generacional más joven y formas potencialmente nuevas de hacer las cosas que alguien que no haya estudiado. Este tipo de relaciones también ayudan a disipar los estereotipos entre generaciones y permiten que las personas conecten a nivel humano.

Pero no lo hacemos. En la mayoría de los casos parece que sufrimos de una extraña perspectiva, donde no hay nada que aprender o bien que el proceso de intercambio intergeneracional es una tarea inútil. Joven es futuro (y, demasiadas veces, un futuro barato, otro disparate), lo viejo está superado, no hay utilidad, es un costo. Y de preferencia, un costo inútil que puede ser recortado, y así quemamos con total alegría parte esencial de nuestro capital inmaterial. Es preciso hacer un cambio drástico en estas visiones. Sucede que en ocasiones, hay que saber resistir los productos que nos venden coaches, escuelas, universidades, MBAs y otros, donde parece que es preciso quemar todas las naves y salir por ahí, a buscar nuevas experiencias. Todo lo anterior no sirve. Me permito recordar que hasta el momento al único que le funciono quemar las naves fue a Hernán Cortes, por cierto, hace bastante tiempo. Quizá demasiado.

Entonces, es preciso trabajar, y colocarse en posición de pensar, para ver la manera en que aprovechamos realmente la estructura que poseemos, el capital de talento, las fuerzas emergentes y la experiencia acumulada. Es poner manos a la obra en un sistema que funciona desde el tiempo de las corporaciones en la Edad Media.

En conclusión:

Si bien la idea de abordar las diferencias generacionales puede parecer estresante, complicado o involucrar demasiado recursos, una mejor manera de verla es enfocarse en los beneficios de tener tantas voces diferentes en el trabajo. La fuerza laboral multigeneracional no se irá a ninguna parte, por lo que aprender a gestionar este tipo diferente de fuerza laboral es de vital importancia. Y permite una innovación interesante, ya que los empleados más jóvenes pueden aprender de los trabajadores mayores y viceversa.

No existe una solución única para este tipo de gestión y puede requerir que los líderes de equipo sean creativos (y en especial la nueva generación de gestores de relaciones humanas). Pero también permite dar nueva vida a aspectos de la gestión del talento como la resolución de problemas, la ética laboral e incluso el enfoque del equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal. El respeto y la buena comunicación son las claves para gestionar múltiples generaciones en el trabajo. Se trata, como se indicó con anterioridad, de poner manos a la obra, y sobre todo, descartar las soluciones tentadoramente sencillas.